CPJ condemns attack on TV news anchor Hamid Mir

New York, April 19, 2014­--The Committee to Protect
Journalists is alarmed by the continuing violence directed at journalists in
Pakistan. Geo News senior anchor Hamid Mir today was shot three times soon
after he and his driver left Karachi's main airport, according to media reports. The
driver was not wounded.

"The attack on Hamid Mir is an indicator that the
government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has not been able to reverse the
country's appalling record of violence against journalists, despite pledges to
do so," said Bob Dietz, CPJ's Asia program coordinator. "Full
prosecution of the perpetrators of such crimes is the only answer to reversing
this history. Police must act swiftly and decisively in this and all cases that
have been building up for years in Pakistan. And the country's media must use their
capabilities to pursue their own investigations, as well as pressure the government
to take action."

Mir is reported to be in serious condition with wounds to
his abdomen and pelvis, but is expected to survive. On March 28, gunmen sprayed
the car of TV anchor and analyst Raza
Rumi, a member of the Express Group of media organizations. He escaped
serious injury, but his driver, Mustafa, was killed. Earlier in March, Sharif pledged
to a visiting CPJ delegation to take several steps to improve journalist security.